Always by My Side
by Thornspike
Summary: Kuchiki Rukia gave up everything just to get at this point. Perhaps, even her own sanity. The guilt that cloaks her very being was the very reason she's here. But is it all there is to it? First comes guilt, then comes... what actually? IchiRuki.
1. Chapter 0

**Author's notes:** Ohayou minna-san! This has been my first fanfic in ... erm, And my first in the Bleach series! So, um, please be gentle? I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I had fun writing it. ^.^

Standard disclaimers apply.

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**Always by My Side  
**_by thornspike_

**Chapter 0 – Partial Camouflage**

"Are you _sure_ about this, Rukia?" an apprehensive young woman with long, curly strawberry blonde hair asked her companion while eyeing anxiously on her friend's long raven tresses.

The girl in question turned her head from her vanity mirror and glared at her best friend. "Ran, for the thirteenth time – YES!" she yelled, plopping back in soft, leather cushion. Honestly, why does she have to repeat herself over and over again? "Just… don't make look like an idiot, ok?" she added softly.

Being her friend for as long as she can remember, Matsumoto Rangiku knew that it was the closest thing to a "sorry" that she could get. "_Maa…_" she said, temporarily slipping to their native tongue, and placed both hands on Rukia's shoulders. Ice-blue eyes softened at the nostalgic look apparent on the other's face. She wrapped her arms around her friend, rested her chin on her shoulder and looked intently at their reflection. "I just want to let you know that you're doing something completely idiotic and you might regret in the future," she added gently.

Rukia smiled at her concern. "Don't worry, I know… and I won't." She made up her mind a long time ago and she's not the type of person to back out at the last moment… well, at the _almost_ last moment.

Rangiku sighed for the last time and picked up the shears on the nearby table. "You're brother's gonna kill me," she muttered, suddenly remembering her friend's intimidating, yet drop dead gorgeous, older brother. And Rukia, being Rukia, only answered her by a pair of rolling eyes.

Snip!

* * *

_This is it… there's no turning back now,_ Rukia thought as she glanced at the school's magnificent (and rather huge) front yard from the taxi's opened window. She paid the driver and got of the car. Straightening her uniform, she took decided yet nervous steps toward the huge white building at the far end of the path way.

_Gotei Gakuen._ It said, as the shiny golden characters emblazoned on top of the building's huge marble pillars never fail attract second looks from passing outsiders. Rukia stopped at the foot of the stairs leading into the said building and looked up upon the said characters, wondering what will happen to _her_ in this place. She shook her head and let out a huge sigh, _I can do this._ She took her Letter of Acceptance from her bag and rechecked the location of the office that she will be reporting to in a few minutes. She looked one last time at the glinting characters above her and entered the building.

A good ten minutes later, she found herself looking at a pair of impressive double oak doors. The golden name plate on top of it said:

_**Shihouin Yoruichi, M.D., M.B.A.  
Principal**_

Rukia paused to look at the two desks on both sides of the doors, wondering where to inquire between the two. She went to the one on her left, assessing that the blonde girl behind the other one would be too busy to accommodate her, as she's _literally_ swimming in paperwork. She looked at the man behind the desk in front of her and politely cleared her throat. The man, who was typing furiously on his keyboard, looked up, startled. Rukia also noticed that the girl from the right desk stopped at what she's doing to look at the source of the sound.

Rather uneasy under their inquisitive stare, Rukia cleared her throat again and looked levelly at the man again, "Is Shihouin-san available?"

The man looked at her sceptically then turned his head back at the monitor. "Do you have an appointment?" he asked rather uninterestedly.

"_Ano…_ my name is Kuchiki Ru – " she didn't get the chance to finish what she was about to say as the person she was talking to – and his counterpart – suddenly bolted to her side and bowed down.

"MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES KUCHIKI-SAN!" they both shouted in unison.

Surprised, Rukia took a step back, sweatdropping at the same time. _What a weird pair…_

The blonde girl hastily stood up and grinned brightly, "She's waiting for you, Kuchiki-san. Allow me to –" Rukia didn't hear the rest as the man pushed her back, eventually cutting her speech.

"Allow me to escort you to the premises Kuchiki-san!" the man shouted.

"Sentaro! How dare you –" the blonde girl said as she pounced on the man's back.

"Yurusai! You're loaded with paperwork! How can you –" Sentaro retaliated and pushed the girl's face away from him.

Rukia, still overwhelmed at the pair, failed to notice an irritated figure emerged from the office. She jumped when she heard a voice behind her barking, "Oi! What's with all the ruckus? It's not even eight in the morning and you're going at it like rabid dogs already!" Looking behind her, she saw probably one of the most beautiful women she had laid eyes on.

The owner of the voice turned out to be a tall, dark-skinned lady with long purple hair tied in a ponytail. She emitted raw and ferocious authority, only to be intensified by her exotic appeal. But what's most striking in her appearance wasn't her cocoa-colored skin – it's her _eyes._ Her champagne-colored orbs narrowed in annoyance and Rukia did not doubt for a second that the lady can bring down _any_ man on his knees by merely looking at him.

At that moment, the squabbling pair flew off of each other and straightened themselves and saluted the lady. And as Rukia thought they couldn't get any weirder, the pair shouted "GOMEN NASAI, YORUICHI-SAN!" in unison.

The lady, Yoruichi-san to the weird pair, pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, "Why do I even bother?" And after calming down a little, she ordered Sentaro to get her some Advil at the Health Room, which he complied a little too eagerly. After the man left did she only notice the other person in the room. She glared at her and bluntly asked, "_Dare ga kisama wa?_"

Too taken aback to answer, Rukia stood rooted on her spot, gapping like a fish as her tongue cowered at the principal's acknowledgement. Luckily for her, the blonde girl answered loyally, "Yoruichi-san, that's Kuchiki-san, the new transfer student."

_Well bless my soul…_ Yoruichi couldn't help but drop the glare she was currently sporting and exchange it to a Cheshire grin. "Another Kuchiki, eh? Boy, you sure look like Byakuya-kun. Well, come inside and I'll debrief you of some basic information. But after wards, you're on your own," she added sternly.

"Yes ma'am!" Rukia couldn't help but reply. She's like a _freaking_ military sergeant! _But she _knows _Byakuya-nii-san?!_ She felt her insides turn to lead. This can't be good. If her brother finds out what she's been doing and _planning_ to do… Rukia mentally shook her head. No, she's already been this far. If worse comes to worst, she'll have no choice but to conspire with _her_. And if that didn't work, then she'll _beg_ her.

"Oi _gaki,_ take a seat will 'ya?" the principal said while looking for something in the drawers behind her majestic mahogany desk.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she sat down on one leopard print plush seat in front of the desk. While waiting for the older woman to continue, Rukia took a few seconds to survey her surroundings. The table was _enormous_ but aside from the white Apple desktop with black cat prints on the corner, a Garfield coffee mug and a telephone, it's relatively clean. Either she finishes her paperwork on time or she just dumps it to the first person she sees, specifically the blonde girl outside. Behind the principal's chair was a huge window that spans the entire height of the room and from where Rukia sat, she could clearly see the other buildings and the soccer field in plain view. Flanking both of its sides were the national flag and the school's coat of arms. On the far left is a bookshelf filled with books wherein most titles were of foreign language. On the top of one of the maroon walls hanged a decapitated panther's head that had its fangs bared into a full snarl, glaring directly at her direction. Several weapons, probably from every martial arts movie created, donned the remaining wall space left.

All in all, Rukia thought it was a torture chamber in a twisted sort of way, _Are those real shurikens?_ She gulped, too intimidated to notice that the principal is now observing her _quite_ interestingly.

"So…" the woman started, snapping Rukia from her reverie, "Welcome, Kuchiki. I'm Shihouin Yoruichi, your high school principal." Her voice was now calm and business-like, far from the one she used outside her office.

"As you probably don't know, we don't usually accept students after our registration period. But since you're only a week late and you have an impressive transcript, I made an exception," she continued. "We also don't have many transferees, so don't be shocked if almost all students here know each other since grade school." She handed Rukia a manila envelope, which the latter immediately opened.

Inside were a few documents and a small booklet. Rukia inspected the files a little closer but before she could process what's in it, the principal beat her to it, "That's your basic survival kit in this school. The papers contain your school map, classroom designation, class schedule, and reference list. The booklet is the student's rule book, I expect you to follow everything in it," the woman smirked before leaning an elbow on the armrest.

Rukia gulped, but nodded nonetheless. She did not doubt for one second that she's bound to break half of what's written in it by just _enrolling _here. Thankfully her brain functioned well thus, keeping her thoughts only to herself.

"How are you related to Byakuya-boi by the way? And how is he? I haven't heard from him since he was accepted at Harvard," Yoruichi suddenly asked, her eyes not even flickering away from Rukia.

Rukia felt that the woman is deliberately catching her if she slipped. But being a Kuchiki, she came in prepared. She expected questions like this to emerge since her brother had graduated in this school with the highest grade in his batch. So she made up a semi-phony background, a claim that she reinforced with fake documents courtesy of Rangiku. She did not have an inkling of how her best friend obtained those and to be honest, she didn't want to know. Also being a Kuchiki, her acting skills were schooled to perfection. Upon hearing the question, she executed the first act, "We're distant cousins, Shihouin-san. My great grandfather, Kuchiki Ryuuji, and his grandfather, Kuchiki Ginrei, were first cousins. But I call him my 'Nii-san out of respect, since he's my guardian in the States, and technically we still are relatives. I believe he's in his last year in med school." _Top honours as usual_, her mind couldn't help but add.

"Oh? Well, that's good for him. To be honest, I didn't think he had it in him to survive the States. So that foul-tempered brat finally sprouted some sagacity," she laughed like it's the best joke she'd heard all day.

Rukia felt like she's missing something. Surely they're not talking about Kuchiki Byakuya, her ever calm, collected, and sometimes indifferent onii-san?

"Doesn't he have a younger sister… what's her name again?" Yoruichi asked.

"Rukia."

"Ah, yes. _Rukia._ She visited here once, before Byakuya's first day, if I recall correctly. Very spoiled, that girl. Always clinging to her brother… had a tantrum when he told her that he is required to sleep in the school's dorms on his middle school. How _is_ she?" her champagne eyes never leaving the person in front of her.

Rukia almost felt a vein pop, _I'm NOT spoiled, you crazy cat-lady!_ But she forcefully calmed herself down and performed the second act, "She's currently a junior in a private all-girls school near Harvard. 'Nii-san is pressuring her to study in Harvard too." _Stupid 'Nii-san, always making decisions for me!_

"_Are?_ That's harsh, even for a Kuchiki. I hope she can live up to his expectations," her sincere tone washed over Rukia like a shower in the middle of hot day.

"Yeah. I hope so too," she replied, her voice distant and detached. Indigo eyes clouded with emotions for a fraction of a second then turning back again to its poised state.

An action that did not go unnoticed by her companion.

Rukia inwardly cursed herself for letting her guard down. Uncontrolled emotions were the last things that she needed if she wants her semi-fictitious background to be credible. She looked at the older woman and mentally smiled. Looks like she bought the story, and regarded the sudden change of intonation as nothing more than a concerned cousin's sentiment.

Yoruichi looked at her watch and smirked, "I guess we'll have to cut this short if you don't want to be late on your first day." She stood up and offered her hand, her cat-like eyes flickering once more at the student's countenance. "Welcome to Gotei All-Boys Academy, Kuchiki Rui. Congratulations for making it."

The only other person in the room stood up as well and shook the offered hand. "_Domo arigatou gozaimasu_."

* * *

As the new transfer student, _Kuchiki Rui_, closed the office doors, the principal's smiling face couldn't help but crack up. She slapped her desk a good few times and then wiped a stray tear. When she calmed down, she cleared her throat and spoke, "_Ne_, Kisuke, what do you think?" apparently to no one.

A seemingly bored voice filled the entire room in an instant. "_Yare, yare,_ _he's_ pretty convincing, don't you think, Yoruichi-san?"

"_Baka._ That's why I accepted _her_. I really hope they could help each other. They're such a miserable pair," Yoruichi said, placing her feet on the desk.

The voice chuckled, "Well, misery loves company, my dear – _are?_" he paused as a soft knocking sound was heard on his side. "Sentaro-kun is at the door, did you tell him to get something?"

"That idiot probably got lost _again_! Never mind Kisuke, I'll call you later," she sighed and pushed a little round button on her phone, effectively turning off the red light that says SPEAKER ON.

_Ganbatte yo, Kuchiki Rukia._ _You're going to need it._

**tsuzuku**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chorvaloo # 1: Argh… I'm supposed to be studying for my exams tomorrow… but my fingers were itching to post this. Et viola! Oh, and I changed the summary BTW. Didn't want it to look angsty...  
**

**Chorvaloo # 2: Sorry for the late update! And I feel that I'm going to do a lot of apologising from now on. I might not be able to update frequently, seeing that I've yet to get _acclimatize_ (yes, it's a new word for me!) to my new school. And of course, the hassle of this A(H1N1) in the country… makes me really anxious. Hopefully, none of my classmates will acquire it. But I wouldn't mind an extra days off due to suspension of **

**Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

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**Chapter 1 – Survivor: Safari**

Upon closing the door of the principal's office, Rukia breathe out a sigh of relief. She thought she wouldn't get out of there alive! She fished her envelope for her class schedule. _8:30am – Homeroom, _it said. She read the location and frowned. _Where the hell is this?_ She looked around and found the blonde girl from earlier, staring at her curiously. Deciding that it would be a lot less of a hassle if she just asked where her classroom is, she approached the girl.

The girl, who introduced herself as Kiyone, cordially gave her directions. With no time to spare, she thanked her and looked at her watch, 8:15 am it said. _Only fifteen minutes left!_ Not giving anything a sideways glance, she left the building and ran as fast as humanly possible. Following Kiyone's instructions for a shortcut, she made it to the designated building with a few minutes to spare. Upon locating the sign that said "Shoe Lockers", she immediately entered the room.

As rows upon rows of lockers greeted her, she immediately panicked. _Where will I put my shoes?! _She thought frantically as she searched for an available spot. Deciding to look in the other row, she turned at a corner and – smacked her face directly on some hard surface.

"Oof!" she grunted, wincing, as she touched her nose. _What the –? Good thing it's not broken. _She was so absorbed at tending her hurting appendage that the thing that she had mistaken for a wall groaned. It then dawned upon her that she was standing in front of _someone's_ back… that is being nursed by that same someone's hand. "Ah, _gomen_!" she apologized.

The person in question turned around, the clucking of his wooden slippers echoing in the hallway, and Rukia couldn't help but immediately curse their height difference. "_Ara?_" the person asked, his eyes peering down on her beneath his striped hat.

Rukia felt a chill went up her spine. It was the same feeling she felt in the principal's office. She gulped, "_Ano,_ could you tell me where I can put my shoes?"

The man adjusted his white lab coat, one hand at his back, still nursing the offending spot. "Just place them wherever you want," he said.

Rukia turned around and looked for an empty locker, all the while thinking how weird people seem to dwell in this place. First it's the crazy cat lady, then this crazy hat guy! Who in their right mind would wear something like that? And in a school, no less?! She would have thought that he looked attractive with the light blonde hair and slight stubble and all… but funny hat plus weird stare plus _geta_ slippers equals just plain unnerving.

"_Ano sa,_" the man started, "Kuchiki Rui _desu ka?_" he asked in the same bored tone as he took slow and calculated steps towards her.

"Uh, _hai._ Is something wrong?" she asked, unconsciously taking a step back. She suddenly felt claustrophobic as her back hit the locker doors. That weird feeling that kept bugging her since she entered Shihouin Yoruichi's office increased tenfold. This man had an alienating aura around him that the way his eyes were covered by funny hat didn't seem so funny anymore – it's _scary_. And what didn't help in this situation is that she is trapped between a shoe locker and a weird man in a room with no other people present.

The man stopped some three steps in front of her and held out his hand, flashing his watch. "Aren't you a little late? The bell rang several minutes ago."

The student's eyes widened, as all the previous emotions flew past the window. She grabbed his wrist and gasped as the digits seemed to scream at her. 8:50 am! But that can't be right… she should have at least ten more minutes to spare. She looked at her watch and it _still _said 8:15 am.

_Shit, shit, shit! Why didn't I hear it ring?!_ "I'm gonna go now! I'm sorry for earlier!" she said, scampering out of sight.

"_Oi,_ where in America did you live?" he shouted. He was only answered by a faint 'Massachusetts!'. The man tilted back his green and white striped hat, revealing his devious pewter gray eyes.

* * *

_I can't believe it! I'm late on my first day! _ Rukia's mind screamed as her body dashed madly up a flight of steps. _And why on earth would they place the homeroom on the third floor?!_ Upon reaching the said floor, she turned at a corner and ran into _yet_ another person's back. The only difference was due to her speed, the force of the impact sent her sprawling on the floor.

"_Kyaa!_" she squealed as she landed on her back. _What is it with me and people's backs these days?_ She looked around and saw her belongings scattered on the floor. She looked up to see the stranger's face but was suddenly blinded by sun behind him. Suddenly, two large hands gripped her arms and hoisted her effortlessly on her feet.

"You sound like a girl," the man said, handing her files.

Rukia's eyes widened. Could it be that her cover was exposed? Panicking, she hurriedly grabbed her stuff and said, "Uh, _owari_, I'm in a hurry, so 'bye!" She ran, for the third time this morning, never once glancing at the person she bumped into. He didn't even bother to stop her so she concluded he was just making a rather accurate observation. But that didn't made her slow down until she reached Room 2-A.

_I made it!_ She took a deep breath and knocked a few times and waited.

There was a faint '_Asano, get back to your seat!'_ before the door opened, revealing a tracksuit-clad woman in her late twenties. Rukia stared in confusion, _Is she the teacher?_

The woman arched an eyebrow and said, "You're late! But since it's your first day, I'll let it pass. Wait here." She headed towards the teacher's table and tried to call the attention of the considerably noisy class. "_Mina-san_, can I have your attention please?" Unfortunately, this was drowned in the mindless chatters of the students.

Rukia felt bad for the professor, it seemed that she was trying desperately not to lose her temper until – she banged her fist on the table. The table shook and groaned under the force it was subjected to. "_Oi,_ you dipshits, I said SHUT UP!" This _apparently_ caught the students' attention. Upon seeing their stunned faces, she continued, smiling and talking in an overly friendly way, as if nothing had happened. "We have a new transfer student, guys! He's from America –"

"From America? Could he be blonde?"

"With blue eyes?"

"Or could he be the tall, dark, basketball player type?"

"Does he have a weird accent?"

The teacher cleared her throat and gave the class a deadly glare, effectively silencing them again. She turned to Rukia and smiled, "Kuchiki-kun? You can come in now," she said in a motherly and carefree tone, all signs of previous annoyance disappeared in a second.

_Is this school all right? _Rukia could not help but wonder. She stood in front of the class while the teacher wrote her name in the board. "_Ore wa _Kuchiki Rui _desu. Yoroshiku onegashimasu,_" she said and bowed.

"He doesn't look American."

"Duh! Look at him! His features scream 'purely Asian'"

"_Hora, hora!_ He even has a Kanji name!"

"Kuchiki-kun? Please pardon these imbeciles. _Watashi wa _Ochi Misato _desu_. _Tannin no sensei ga_," the woman said in the same motherly tone that still unnerved Rukia. Does this person have a split personality? "_Are?_ Where's your school bag?" the teacher asked looking at her.

"Huh? It's right he–" she held out her right hand and gasped, realizing that she was only carrying her school files… and her bag was nowhere in sight. "_Gomen nasai, sensei._ I dropped it some –" she was interrupted by a masculine voice behind her.

"_Oi,_ don't leave your things scattered behind, _chibi-san_."

She turned around to see who spoke when her face met leather. The man apparently held a leather bag at arm's length – her supposed to be _missing_ school bag. She gasped, the acrid smell of faux leather permeating her nostrils. Snarling, she yanked the bag from the man, "You didn't need to squish my face with it, you bas–" she froze, her eyes widening as she saw the stranger's face. His flaming orange hair was very unmistakable. Clearly, she didn't expect that the person in front of her was the one that she was going to curse only seconds ago.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, if you're late three times, I'm gonna mark it 'absent' 'ya hear?" Occhi-sensei's drawling voice broke through her reverie.

Ichigo gave a nonchalant shrug before going to his seat near the windows, some three rows behind.

"Kuchiki, you can sit next to Kurosaki since you're already acquainted," the sensei's voice was daunting, but Rukia felt that it wasn't directed to her. She walked to her seat and snuck a glance at the person next to her, and sure enough, he was giving his best glare at the teacher, who in return, is pointedly ignoring him.

_I finally met him!_ Rukia felt that a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She didn't expect that finding _him_ in this campus would be so easy! Leaving her family and friends in America only to disguise herself as a boy and enter an all-boys school in Japan in order to see a _boy_ sounded like, well, anything from dubious to questionable; and to lie to her only brother, associate her (albeit willing) best friend in her plan, and deceive an institution were not parts of her everyday life, either. Minute by minute, as she stayed longer in the school, with people asking and saying things that could blow her cover, she began to ask herself if all of her efforts are worth it. But seeing his face again, her heart pounded loudly against her chest. She felt her eyes clouding over and she knew that if she did not control her emotions as soon as possible, tears would flow. She bowed her head to hide her eyes and softly whispered, "I'm sorry."

_I'm so sorry._

She got back her resolve.

_I'm sorry._ Ichigo heard something like that, thinking it was directed to him. But when he looked around, and settled his gaze at the new student, who was currently taking out his notebook and pen with no sign whatsoever of starting a conversation, clearly, it was meant for another person. He didn't have bothered.

How very wrong he was.

* * *

It was already lunch time when Rukia managed to collect some guts to finally speak to Ichigo again. What could possibly go wrong? She's just going to talk to him, for crying out loud! _Just go there and say what you want to say! It's a free country!_ Her mind screamed. Berating herself for taking this long, she stood up and walked toward his seat, ignoring the buzz from the students who did not have a single care if their subject of chatter is hearing them or not.

"Hey look! The new student is gonna talk to Kurosaki!"

"Kurosaki-kun?" she asked, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He did not disappoint her.

The boy in question paused from eating his lunch and looked at her, scowling. "_Nani ka?_" he drawled, taking a swig from his water jug.

Rukia paused for a second and looked directly at his eyes, "I like you very much. Can we hang out sometime?"

Ichigo choked, spraying a mouthful of water at the very unlucky person seated in front of him. The poor guy jumped and shot him a disgusted look, "Aww, Ichigo! It took me three hours to style my hair!" he whined, dashing out of the room.

A commotion that did not went unnoticed by the class, that led to more whispering.

"_Owari_ Keigo," he said it like an afterthought, visibly disturbed at her statement. He cast a sideways glance at her saying, "Sorry, but I have no interest in _that_ area," before packing away his half-eaten lunch.

_Eh? Have I said something wrong?_ Her confusion was short-lived, however, as the whispers around her grew a little louder.

"Wow! Did you see that?!"

"He's pretty liberated."

"He likes boys too!"

"Too?!"

"Uhm…"

Rukia's eyes widened. Had she been mistaken for a…her thought was interrupted when Ichigo stood up and hastily went for the door. "Ah, where are you going, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Away from you," he said coldly, shutting the door with more force that necessary.

She stood there, gaping like a fish. Clearly, this isn't the situation she was hoping to end up on her first day at her new school. She needed to salvage the situation. She needed to explain to him that he got it all wrong – that they started at the wrong foot. They have to become friends, one way or another, damn it! She crossed an ocean just to see him!

She heard a loud and raucous laughter behind her. "You're an interesting guy!" someone said.

She turned around and came face to face with – another chest. Looking up, she almost gasped at their height difference. _Wow, he's taller than 'nii-san!_ Other than the height, the guy's appearance startled her. He was a pretty intimidating guy with long scarlet hair tied in a high ponytail, a neon colored bandana on his forehead and – good Lord, are those tattoos on his neck?

"Don't worry about Ichigo, he's always a scrooge," the man continued, peering at her closely. "You know, you can actually be mistaken for a girl."

Rukia sweatdropped. "R-really? I don't get that a lot," she said, leaning away from him.

"Oi Renji, stop harassing the new kid!" someone from the back joked.

The _akage_ laughed, "Ah _owari_," he said and straightened himself. "_Ore wa _Abarai Renji_._ I'm the basketball team's greatest talent. They call me the 'Great Baboon King'. _Yoroshiku._" His words were ringing with unconcealed pride.

_Baboon? _"Uh, it's nice to meet you…" she said uncertainly, still apprehensive towards the guy.

"That's no good! Males should be more assertive!" he exclaimed, all the while giving her back a few good slaps.

Rukia felt her lungs were about to collapse. That guy, Renji, had a good arm. She shuddered at the thought of what it would feel like at the receiving end of his punch. But he seemed like a nice person, a little loud, but hey, nobody's perfect.

"Speaking of which, new kid!" he exclaimed, as if remembering something important. He slugged an arm around her shoulders, and whispered "Since you just arrived from America, I'm dying to know… how are the girls over there?"

Rukia's eyes widened. Had she been drinking water that instant, she would have had choked on it. One's not supposed to ask a girl that kind of question! And then it hit her – she's _supposed _to be a guy. Mentally slapping herself, she struggled to find a right answer as her companion eyed her expectantly. "I… w-well," she stammered, "That depends on the person… right?"

Renji's stare intensified. "I see," he said, his tone sympathetic, "So, you haven't done _it_ yet."

Rukia blushed and avoided eye contact. She wanted to strangle him! She's not prepared to have this kind of conversation, especially with a guy!

Unfortunately for her, the loudmouthed _akage_ seemed oblivious to her distress. "Well," he continued, grinning, "That's ok. When you`re with guys your age, things concerning men's _kokan_ are important."

She was too embarrassed to even correct him. Red from head to toe, Rukia wanted the ground to swallow her. _What have I gotten myself into?!_

Renji was about to speak _again_ when a fan collided with his head. The force of the collision made it ricochet off to another direction. Her companion's eyes became unfocused for a second, then without warning, turned, preparing to defend his abused cranium, "That hurt, you son of a–"

"_Yare, yare,_ you should really polish your Japanese, Abarai-kun!" the person interrupted. It's the weird-hat guy! That uneasy feeling invaded Rukia's system again as the man's partially covered eyes swept the room and landed on her. Thankfully, he broke eye contact after a few seconds. "I believe the correct term is _koken_, freeloader-san!" he said, all the while poking the redhead with his cane.

"Ow, hey! Stop that, you sadistic doctor!" Renji said while evading and swatting – in vain – the man's wretched stick.

The man just laughed and cleared his throat to get the class's attention. Rukia just stood there, amazed at how he managed to tame the class without even saying a word. So she wasn't the only one receiving the heebie jeebies from the man.

_He must be a pretty scary guy…_

"Zaraki-sensei _kindly_ informed me to tell you guys that your class will be having your annual overall fitness test tomorrow," he man smiled at the general pallor of the class. "He also told me, quote, to tell those pansies that they all better be in good shape tomorrow, or _else_, unquote."

The class whimpered.

"Oh, and by the way," he added, "I won't be thinking of skipping class and using the Health Room as an excuse, if I were you. Because I might give you the wrong medication, _by accident._" His words were cold and severe. Rukia half-expected him to deliver a punch line, but she received none, clearly confirming that this man is not the type of guy to mess around with. He then smiled brightly, as if he didn't threaten the entire class a few moments ago, "Well, that's all for the announcement! Make sure you tell those who're not here, 'kay? You can all go back to your lunches now, happy eating!" he said jovially, whistling a creepy tune as he retreated out of the room.

"I think I lost my appetite," someone said.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," commented another.

"I think I'm gonna die!" the other whined.

The class groaned simultaneously.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo did not return to class that say.

Mildly depressed, it took a great effort for Rukia to pay attention to class. Thankfully, the teachers all said that she needed to acclimatize to the lessons first before being called in recitation, something she was deeply grateful for.

As the bell rang for dismissal, she looked inside her manila envelope for her dorm location, ignoring the throes of students dashing to the exits. She fished out a file, and looked at its contents. _Dorm Designation_, it said.

"Kuchiki-san?" a lanky boy with wire-rimmed glasses approached her.

"_Ore wa_ Ishida Uryuu. I was assigned to show you around the campus," he said, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Ah, _sou ka? _Kuchiki Rui _desu. Yoroshiku,_" she held out her hand which the boy firmly shook.

"I see you're checking your dormitory," Uryuu nodded towards the slip of paper she was holding.

"Uh, _hai_. It says Dorm 3, Building 13, Room 205," _Wherever that is…_

"Ah, you're in luck. We're dorm mates after all, same floor even. I'm on 206. Should we get going? We need to finish the tour before six, if we want to eat a decent dinner."

"Eh?"

"If you're lucky, only the good food disappears. But sometimes, everything does. Some people actually have bottomless pits for stomachs."

"Ah." _Welcome to the wilderness, Rukia,_ she thought bitterly.

_~tsuzuku_

* * *

**Chorvaloo # 3: By now you guys can already see the parallelisms of this fic and the story ****Hanazakari no Kimitachi e** by the great Hisaya Nakajo (insert disclaimer here)**… but I think it would be a little safe if I told you guys that those similarities might come and go. I plan to stick to the manga (plotwise, but I added a major twist. Gasp! Will it be a tall order for me?! Waaah! I don't know!). Let me know what you guys think! Chapter two next week!**

I'm taking a leaf out of a fanfiction author's book (because you have a tagalong corner). I'm sorry, I forgot who you are. But I think I Have you in Favorites or Alert. I'm not quite sure... but one thing's certain, I love your work, whatever that is! I'm not worthy!!! (I wouldn't have remembred you if it weren't for your tagalog corner) If you know who you are, plase PM me or something! I want to read your work again. Thanks!

Paepal lang: Grabe, sobrang hirap mag-iba ng paaralan… nakakawindang! (Lalo na't saksakan ng mga konyo sa paligid… may ibang maayos, may din namang hindi) Ah, bahala na!


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